Update (August 25, 1:13 pm): A new hit of landslide took place in Anni town in Kullu on Thursday morning. As many as eight
buildings were fully damaged while two others were partially damaged after the landslide. No loss of human life was reported since the area had been evacuated prior in time.
“There was no human loss in the landslide incident because the people had been evacuated by the authorities in time. The properties had started developing cracks over the past few days and the landslide was predicted,” said Ashutosh Garg Deputy Commissioner of Kullu District Administration.
The properties damaged in the incident were reported to be crores of rupees according to top MLA, Anni Lokender Kumar.
“Crores of properties have been damaged in the landslide that hit the Anni town in Kullu on Thursday morning. The authorities had evacuated the area a week prior to the landslide. We have diverted the traffic from the area,” said the MLA.
Moreover, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued 51 people who were stranded in cloud burst incident sites at Shehnu Gouni and Kholanala villages in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, said authorities.
In the recent downpour, Himachal has yet again faced the fury of nature with excessive rainfall. The capital city of Shimla as well as five other districts including Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Solan, and Sirmaur.
After being hit with a third phase of monsoon on Wednesday the region has witnessed further destruction of life and property. Three more bodies were recovered from the landslide site at Summer Hill by the rescue workers on Thursday. The total toll of the incident now stands at 20.
The deceased have been identified as Neeraj Thakur, Pawan Sharma, and his granddaughter Samaira. Sharma’s wife, son, daughter-in-law, and two other granddaughters had also died in the incident.
A junior engineer from a Jal Shakri department was swept away in Baner rivulet in Kangra while trying to restore a water supply scheme. The missing person has been identified as Rajesh Chaudhary, who was posted in the Daulatpur section of Shahpur Circle.
The incident took place at the Jalari pump house. Rescue operations are underway as Police and SDRF team have reached the spot to find Chaudhary.
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri who also holds the Jal Shakti portfolio spoke up about the incident. “JE Rajesh Chaudhary was swept away in strong currents of rivulet in Kangra. Rescue teams have reached the spot,” he said.
Moreover in Mandi, the district administration airdropped ration and medicine in the remote Kashodidhar area with the help of the Air Force. According to an information and public relations department spokesperson the will continue on Friday as well.
The monsoon battering has left the capital city with the debris of landslide-hit houses, uprooted trees, and blocked roads. A red alert has been sounded in six districts including Shimla, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Solan and Sirmaur
The casualties of the monsoon season this year have now risen to 367 and as many as 242 people died in rain-related incidents and 125 in road accidents.
In August month alone a total of 177 people have been killed — 124 of them in rain-related incidents.
Rain triggered landslides which led to buildings collapsing at Anni in Kullu district and blocking four highways on Thursday even as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert, predicting heavy to very rainfall in six districts of the state.
Nearly 700 roads remain blocked across the state due to landslides, including the four national highways connecting Kullu-Mandi, Mandi-Pathankot, Kalka-Shimla, and Theog-Hatkoti.
The Kullu-Mandi highway was damaged after Wednesday’s heavy rain, leaving commuters stranded as per media reports.
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